Fiber optic networks are increasingly being extended and expanded to satisfy customer demand for high speed voice, data and video services. Fiber optic cables are a fundamental building block for any fiber optic network. The structural design of fiber optic cables has been driven at least in part by the inherent fragility and breakability of optical fibers. Thus, a primary goal of a fiber optic cable design is to provide adequate protection to optical fibers such that the optical fibers are not broken or otherwise damaged in the field (e.g., during installation or with use over time).
To achieve this goal, fiber optic cables often include robust outer jackets and relatively stiff reinforcing elements (e.g., reinforcing rods formed by fiberglass reinforced polymers such as fiberglass reinforced epoxy) which provide effective protection for optical fibers contained within the jackets. This type of design is particularly prevalent for outdoor rated fiber optic cables, but generally applies to other types of fiber optic cables as well. While traditional fiber optic cable design are effective for providing optical fiber protection, such designs can cause difficulties or inefficiencies in the area of cable management. For example, many fiber optic cables are connectorized in the factory and are not customized to have a specific length equal to the intended length of cable ultimately needed in the field. Instead, fiber optic cables are typically selected with lengths longer than the intended or expected use length in the field. When installed, the excess fiber optic cable is typically coiled and stored, often in an enclosure. The bulky, robust nature of traditional fiber optic cable causes sections of cable that have been coiled for storage to be relatively large and awkward to store.